Mack Avenue Community Literacy

As many of you know, I have been working with MAC Lit for a few months, assisting with weekly tutoring sessions and grant writing. I just wanted to share with you all how God is using literacy as a way to reach out to our neighbors, connect people with the Gospel, and provide a service that is much-needed in our community. Please pray about how you can partner with us this fall as we begin tutoring once again!

Members of Mack Avenue Community Church have relocated to the neighborhoods of the 48214 zip code of Detroit so that we can personally connect with our neighbors. It is our passion to intentionally demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ, particularly towards children and the marginalized. Mack Ave members share a strong commitment to the beliefs that the gospel is true, that all people have inherent and equal value, and that God's kingdom is one of justice. MAC Lit was born out of Mack Ave’s desire to share these core values via a loving and meaningfully response to the requests voiced by the community for quality academic support for their children. MAC Lit is an after-school literacy clinic which offers one-on-one tutoring to students in the community, many of whom are struggling in school and lead lives at home filled with the stresses of poverty and broken family units. Like many areas in Detroit, our community has been ravished by high unemployment, criminal activity, poverty and a loss of its citizens. Its youngest residents are struggling in the public schools to gain a basic education, and a lack of reading skills continues to be a particular area of weakness that requires outside support. MAC Lit is just one way that we are able to engage with our neighbors and impact our community for Christ, as well as bring justice and dignity back into the lives of families in Detroit.

Our main goals at MAC Lit are to:
1) improve literacy and literacy awareness
2) promote healthy families
3) engage families with the Gospel

We aim to increase reading levels in students by one reading level per year. This past school year, our students improved an average of 2.3 reading levels. Praise the Lord! We strive to educate parents and community members to promote literacy and healthy living in their homes, educate students on the importance of constructive activities and making healthy choices, expose students to Christ-centered literature, and provide opportunities for interaction with Mack Avenue Community Church members. It is the sincere hope and prayer of MAC Lit that its program will reverse the devastating effects of urban poverty and be a means by which participating families are ushered into the covenant community.

Under the direction of Kristen Selle, a teacher and tutoring specialist, MAC Lit volunteer tutors meet with students after school twice a week to focus on reading, oral and written language skills, phonics, and spelling. Students are evaluated upon enrollment in the program to assess their reading ability and current skill set, so that an individualized tutoring plan can be developed.  During each 75 minute session, the students are given a healthy snack and then work one-on-one with a trained volunteer who leads them through reading, exercises, and educational play for the remaining hour.

In order to cultivate an ongoing and authentic relationship with families, MAC Lit also holds monthly community family nights. During these gatherings, Mack Ave church members interact with the students and their families as well as members of the community at large in order to address norms exhibited in cultural poverty and provide valuable information on how different lifestyle habits affect literacy, the ability to learn and general health and well-being. It also provides an opportunity for genuine fellowship and exposure to the gospel in word and deed. Although this community is “culturally Christian”, in reality, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been distorted beyond recognition. It is the desire of MAC Lit to proclaim the truth of Jesus as we serve the community. By walking with our neighbors and empowering families through education, MAC Lit counters the worldly view that people are assigned worth based on their income, education, and status.  Through prayerful design, MAC Lit intends to advance the Kingdom by promoting justice and equality for all persons, renewing this devastated community, restoring peoples' sense of dignity, and above all else, honoring God, and living out the Gospel. 

Our official first day of MAC Lit 2012 is Tuesday, September 18th. We are still in need of volunteer tutors. MAC Lit is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:45pm. However, we only ask tutors for a commitment one hour per week, either on a Tuesday or Thursday from 4:45-5:45pm. All volunteer tutors must first undergo a background check and a training session. During the training session, you will be educated on how literacy can advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthen families, and redevelop the community. You will also be given tools to help you succeed in keeping children focused, strengthening literacy weaknesses, and making learning enjoyable. In addition to instruction on the mechanics of the tutoring program itself, you will also be educated about poverty and the community, so that you may be culturally sensitive to the needs of the students. If you are unable to tutor, there are other ways you can be a blessing to MAC Lit. Here are some of our ongoing needs:

-Prayer partners

-Healthy snacks (granola bars, trail mix, fruit, cheese and crackers, water bottles, etc.)

-Books (new or used)

-Incentive prizes (games, puzzles, toys, arts and crafts, etc.)

-Financial support (consider covering the cost for one student to attend MAC Lit this school year)

-Administrative volunteers (during tutoring to help with curriculum preparation, etc.)

Please consider donating your time as a tutor, your resources, or your prayers to this program. Share this message with friends, family, co-workers, classmates, and church members. If you are interested in partnering with MAC Lit in any way, please contact myself or Kristen, the director of MAC Lit. You can find her contact information, along with more info about MAC Lit, on the website: http://www.mackave.com/mac-lit.html

Here are some photos from MAC Lit this past school year!